127: Chapter 127 I don't know if we can hold on.

A blood-red announcement burned across the firmament, as if proclaiming an iron-blooded feast that would sweep across the entire world.

All players held their breath.

Inside the training room, Chen You looked up, calmly observing the flow of the crimson text.

[Matching...]

[Match Complete!]

[Countdown: 11:59:59]

Chen You opened the system interface and clicked on the newly added Guild Hegemony War icon.

[Opposing Guild: House of the Sea King]

[Battlefield Assignment: Defense Side]

"..."

Chen You looked at the guild name and fell silent.

House of the Sea King?

Is this guild... serious?

Did the Source Realm translation system glitch, or is that just the style of their civilization?

Images of countless aquatic creatures flashed through his mind.

Suppressing the strange thoughts in his heart, Chen You did not delay in the slightest.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

He exited the training room immediately and headed straight for the counter of the Supreme Tower.

Hill, whose demeanor was like a secluded orchid in the valley, still stood there, seemingly unchanging for eternity.

"Hill," Chen You said concisely, "House of the Sea King."

A hint of apology surfaced in Hill's beautiful eyes. She bowed slightly.

"Respected supreme member, all specific intelligence regarding the guild is protected by the Supreme Law. No one can ascertain it through conventional means."

"Conventional means?" Chen You seized on the key phrase.

"Yes," Hill nodded. "Unless you possess a special item or authority capable of penetrating the Law."

She looked at Chen You meaningfully.

"However, I can inform you of some publicly available background information. The 'House of the Sea King' originates from a deep-sea civilization called 'Abyssal Whisper.'"

Deep-sea civilization.

Chen You understood. It seemed inextricably linked to marine life.

He asked again: "Numbers? Average level?"

Hill shook her head: "These all fall under the scope protected by the Law."

Chen You nodded in understanding.

If he could easily inquire about this information, then top factions like the Titan God Clan and the Elf God Clan would have already discovered the fact that the 'Immortal Summer' guild only had him as a lone commander, leaving him with nothing to hide.

Information opacity was, in itself, a form of protection.

"I should log off first and see what Director Li and the others have to say."

Chen You did not linger and chose to log off directly.

...

Chen You opened his eyes. What greeted him was no longer the luxurious Supreme Tower, but a slightly sci-fi room.

As 'White Jade Capital' took root deep in the Qinling Mountains, the former Qinling Second Command Center was once again expanded and renovated.

Its scale increased more than tenfold, becoming the highest command and scientific research outpost guarding the real-world 'White Jade Capital.'

In the corridors, top experts from various fields and soldiers in special combat uniforms hurried past. The air was filled with an atmosphere of high tension yet extreme order.

A Colonel had long been waiting at the end of the corridor. Upon seeing Chen You, he immediately snapped to attention and saluted.

"Comrade Chen You, the Director is waiting for you."

Chen You was escorted directly to the apex of the command center—the Supreme Decision Room.

Outside the massive circular floor-to-ceiling windows was the Qinling Valley, heavily guarded by layers of steel and artillery.

The faintly visible Immortal City, 'White Jade Capital,' still exuded a majestic aura transcending the mortal realm, even through the thick bulletproof glass.

Director Li Guoan stood by the window with his hands behind his back. He was not wearing a military uniform, just a simple Zhongshan suit, but his figure was as steady as a mountain.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

"How long until it starts?"

Without pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

"Twelve hours," Chen You replied, adding, "We are the defense side."

Then, he relayed the basic information about the 'House of the Sea King' obtained from Hill.

Director Li Guoan nodded, his eyes sweeping across the room.

tactical team leader Zhang Yunhai, Data Analysis Team Leader Sun Feng, Social Science Expert Pan Yu... all core experts were already in their positions.

"Defense side..."

Director Li Guoan repeated the words and walked to the massive tactical sandbox. The sandbox displayed a three-dimensional projection of White Jade Capital.

"According to the rules of the Source Realm, in an offensive and defensive battle, the defending side holds the advantage of terrain. But this also means we have no retreat."

His finger lightly tapped the sandbox.

"Although White Jade Capital is just a mirror image, for safety, all scientific research and garrison personnel must be completely evacuated to a safe zone."

Everyone's attention focused on the sandbox.

Zhang Yunhai stepped forward, his expression grave.

"Director, the problem lies with the 'unknown.' The name 'House of the Sea King' is too vague."

"A deep-sea civilization implies that their individual forms, combat methods, and tactical systems will completely deviate from any model we currently know."

"Are they humanoid creatures similar to Atlantis, or are they the unspeakable entities from Cthulhu Mythos?"

His words instantly made the atmosphere in the room more oppressive.

Unlike humanoid god clans like the Titans or Elves, a deep-sea civilization, just hearing the name, was filled with strangeness and uncertainty.

Data Team Leader Sun Feng adjusted his glasses. Data streams refreshed like a waterfall on the screen before him.

"The most critical factor is the level. We know nothing about their level composition either."

Director Li Guoan was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Chen You: "What are your thoughts?"

"Not optimistic," Chen You stated truthfully. "I have no experience fighting marine-type creatures."

"And it's certain that any advantage we have against undead creatures will be useless."

The command room fell into a brief silence.

"Then forget about luck and return to the most primitive logic of warfare."

Director Li Guoan's voice was not loud, but it instantly suppressed all extraneous noise in the room, refocusing everyone's minds.

"Standard tactical deployment."

Six words, steady as a mountain.

tactical team leader Zhang Yunhai immediately stepped forward and stood at attention: "Yes!"

He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the sandbox. His entire demeanor instantly shifted from grave to sharp, like a drawn sword.

"Report, Director! Since the enemy is completely unknown, we will respond to all changes with constancy!"

"White Jade Capital has four city walls. The East, South, West, and North gates are the only potential breach points."

"I suggest deploying five thousand Garrison Army troops, one thousand at each gate, to form the first line of defense."

"The remaining one thousand troops will be kept in the city center as a tactical reserve force."

"Ready to support any direction facing a crisis, forming a tiered defense!"

Zhang Yunhai spoke rapidly, his thought process exceptionally clear.

"This is currently the safest plan. Regardless of whether the enemy focuses their main attack on one direction or besieges us from all four sides, we will have sufficient troops to respond and maneuver."

This was a standard city defense tactic, as standard as it gets. It lacked any flashiness but was as unshakable as Mount Tai.

"The name 'House of the Sea King' and the civilization background of 'Abyssal Whisper' create a strange sense of contradiction,"

Social Science Expert Pan Yu voiced his concern.

"'House of the Sea King' sounds like a joke, even somewhat comical."

"But 'Abyss,' in any civilization's mythology, represents the unknown, terror, and madness."

"This contrast might itself be a form of psychological warfare."

"I worry that their combat methods might not be purely physical; they could involve mental pollution or willpower assaults."

"Can our NPCs withstand it?"

Setting aside the NPCs, the most important question was: could Chen You withstand it?

Director Li Guoan seemed to realize something and looked at Chen You.

"Little Chen, do you have any physiological discomfort towards marine life?"

He looked as if he was about to bring over a cartload of octopuses to let Chen You acclimatize.